The graduates of the United Association Veterans in Piping (UA VIP) Fort Carson Welding Class 25 will soon begin new and rewarding post-military careers in the pipe trades.
Thanks to the UA VIP Program, which is designed to teach transitioning active-duty service members foundational pipe trades skills, the members of Class 25 will return to their civilian lives with guaranteed jobs in the piping industry.
Fort Carson Welding Instructor Jose Ballejo, a Fort Carson Class 6 program graduate, understands the opportunity the UA VIP affords participants.
“This program will teach you a trade so you can have a career to provide for you and your family,” he said.
The UA VIP Program is a DOD Skillbridge Program that guarantees sustainable and lucrative civilian careers to transitioning active-duty service members by setting them up at a UA-registered apprenticeship program at an agreed-upon location.
During the 18 weeks, the UA VIP program utilizes and strengthens the leadership, self-sufficiency, and technical-oriented skills active-duty service members have been developing in the military, and transfers them into a well-balanced pipe trades career.
“The military has molded you into everything you need to be a great apprentice. Don’t lose that, and you will be successful,” Ballejo added.
Class 25 graduates learned various pipe trades-oriented skills introduced to them by experienced journeyman instructors through classroom instruction and hands-on training.
Present active-duty service members should not have to worry about where they will end up after their commitment to our country comes to an end. The UA VIP program offers transitioning active-duty service members with career opportunities in an industry where skilled workers are necessary now more than ever before.
Transitioning active-duty service members are invited to apply to the UA VIP program during their last six months of service, UA VIP training is available in welding, HVAC and fire suppression.
UA VIP training is available at seven military bases across the country.
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord (HVAC and welding)
- Camp Pendleton (welding)
- Fort Carson (welding)
- Fort Cavazos (welding)
- Camp Lejeune (welding)
- Fort Campbell (welding and fire suppression)
- Naval Station Norfolk (HVAC)
Service members not stationed at the above installations are encouraged to apply to the programs with a class date that best fits with their transition period.
The future of welding with the UA
Welders are found on almost every job site and are among the highest-paying skilled trades in the country. These proficient workers cut various materials, from steel, aluminum and stainless steel to complex and specialized metal alloy products used on projects ranging from pipelines and power plants to pharmaceutical and computer microchip factories.
Projections predict a shortage of skilled and certified welders in the U.S. could soon number in the hundreds of thousands. Now is the time to acquire these critical skills.
Once the VIP graduates transition out of the military, they will begin a UA-registered apprenticeship at an agreed-upon location. Students will earn good union wages while they train and quickly qualify for quality health insurance for themselves and their families. They also will begin earning a pension and a 401K for their retirement.
As students advance in their training, they can expect pay raises, working benefits and an acquired skill set that is greatly appreciated in this country's current construction and infrastructure.
Once they complete the apprenticeship program, the graduates will become journeymen with numerous opportunities for career advancement. They can go on to become a foreman, estimator, superintendent, project manager or even a UA signatory contractor. On the union side, they could become an officer or a training instructor.
“I wanted to be a VIP instructor from the start of my apprenticeship,” said Ballejo. “I made it here with the support of my wife and kids, the UA VIP program and the journeyman from Local 58.”
If you are an active-duty service member looking toward your civilian career and future, see if the UA VIP program could help you transition into your new civilian life.
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